You may have noticed that Google Chrome users recently lost the ability to return to a previous page using the backspace button. The move, to put it mildly, has not been well received.

So why did Google do this? They explain on the Chrome extension page:

Many people lost their progress while working online by accidentally pressing backspace and leaving a page -- so we removed the feature from Chrome, and created this extension for those who prefer the old behavior.

Luckily, in this instance, Google was listening and has offered users a fix in the form of a Chrome extension, Go Back with Backspace.

Backspace

After installing the Chrome extension, just open up a new browser window and give it a try. You'll find that the backspace button once again works in the way that it used to - takes you back to the previous page. If you have any tabs already open, you will have to reload them for the functionality to work.

In addition to restoring that functionality in Chrome, it also adds an extra feature. Hitting Shift-Backspace now allows you to go forward if you have this extension installed.

What do you think of Google's move to axe the backspace functionality? Love it or hate it? Let us know in the comments.